In some way for each player on the Ball State men's volleyball team, the upcoming season represents a bounty of opportunities.
Sophomore Matt Leske and freshman Matt Sutherland are both free of their redshirt bonds from one year ago. Sophomores Kevin Owens and Urim Demirovski are stepping into roles previously filled by established players. Sophomores Tommy Rouse and Graham McIlvaine have a year of experience to expand and improve upon.
It's a trend that runs throughout the entire roster due to several reasons, the most noticeable being the loss of five talented seniors from last season's team.
Suddenly, what was once a experienced team has now become a mostly unproven group.
Heading into Ball State's season-opening weekend with road matches against St. Francis on Friday and George Mason on Saturday, both starting at 7 p.m., any concerns over youth may exist only outside the team.
"We are young, but I think with our athleticism and the experience that these guys have had, they know what they're doing," said Jeff Aucoin, a senior outside attacker and transfer player from New Hampshire. "There's nothing about youth that will stop us."
Leske and Owens will be the first to put Aucoin's words to the test. They will be the opening starters at middle attacker for Ball State on Friday, replacing former All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association players Anders Nelson and J.D. Gasparovic.
Leske played sparingly as a freshman in 2009 before redshirting last season to prepare for his chance now. Likewise, Owens was forced into a deep reserve role in his freshman campaign due to the presence of the upperclassmen in front of him.
The massive turnover at the position isn't a concern for coach Joel Walton, aside from one key area.
"My goal for them would be steady improvement," Walton said of Owens and Leske. "I think they're both very capable attackers, and we've already seen them doing some good things blocking. They're both hard workers, and as a middle attacker, you have to be that because you have to jump on every play.
"Right now, neither of them are serving very well. Probably the biggest area for them to improve is going to be getting behind that service line and getting our team a chance to win some points."
For Leske in particular, Ball State's season opener has been a long time coming. The last time he played came in a starting exposure against King College on April 9, 2010.
"It's exciting," Leske said. "I've been waiting for this for three years I think, so I'm just anxious to get out there and see what I can do."
With a transition to a younger team brings questions about which players will become new leaders on the team. Junior outside attacker Larry Wrather appears to be the early favorite to assume that role.
"If you watch our matches, you'll hear Larry, and you'll hear him talking to our team through plays," Walton said. "He's not just talking to guys about what pertains to him. He's giving feedback as to what our block should do, where our attackers should attack, where our diggers should be [and] where we should be covering. And all of those reminders and that communication is very good for our team."
When asked who was the leader of the team, Leske didn't count himself out of the running.
"Larry's a big energy guy for us and Tommy steps in for us," Leske said. "I'd like to think I can step in as well. I'm hoping we all kind of do our part and get the energy going."
Thin depth at almost every position on the team has led each player on the roster to be confident in receiving playing time this season. Because of those two factors, Walton said Tuesday no players are expected to redshirt this season.
That leaves freshmen outside attackers Shane Witmer and David Ryan Vander Meer and middle attacker Julian Welsh-White to vie for time on the court as direct newcomers.
The competition between teammates reflects the desired mentality for Ball State this season: Work hard, endure any challenges and meet expectations.
"We told the guys this season, one of the most important things for them is going to be to show up every day and have a consistent work ethic," Walton said. "We are going to, just by the nature of the group of players we have, be in some situations where we're tested. How well this team does this year is going to be determined by our ability to manage our way through those tests."
For more Ball State men's and women's volleyball coverage, follow @andrewmishler on Twitter.
Projected Starting Lineup
Middle attackers: Kevin Owens, Matt Leske
Outside attackers: Larry Wrather, Jeff Aucoin
Right-side attacker: Greg Herceg
Setter: Graham McIlvaine
Libero: Tommy Rouse
Prediction: Ball State wins 3-1. The Cardinals won both matchups against the Red Flash last season, and that shouldn't change even with several new players in the lineup. Aucoin should bring a new element to the team's offense, while McIlvaine and Rouse should be improved since last season.
What: Ball State vs. St. Francis
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Loretto, Pa.
Media: Live video through sfuathletics.com
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